News of: Monday, 4th of May, 2009

Front Page

A High Court bench yesterday accepted BNP chief Khaleda Zia's writ petition challenging legality of the government decision cancelling allotment of her Dhaka Cantonment house and adjourned its hearing after two other benches felt embarrassed to hear the petition.

Former director (Security) of National Security Intelligence (NSI) Sahab Uddin was arrested in the capital's Green Road yesterday for his alleged involvement in arranging transport and equipment for carrying the illegal arms and ammunition seized at CUFL jetty in Chittagong on April 02, 2004.

The attorney general's office yesterday prayed to the Supreme Court for withdrawing the pending leave-to-appeal petitions against the High Court judgment that had declared illegal the fifth amendment to the constitution which endorses late president Ziaur Rahman's takeover and all acts since August 15, 1975.

The High Court on August 29, 2005 declared the fifth amendment to the constitution illegal, meaning the rules of Khandker Mushtaque Ahmed, Abu Sadaat Mohammad Sayem and Maj Gen Ziaur Rahman from August 15, 1975 to April 9, 1979 were unlawful.

Two parliamentary sub-committees on power & energy and health sectors were yesterday formed to investigate alleged corruption and misappropriation of money in the sectors during the caretaker and BNP-led alliance governments' rule.

A team of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-2) yesterday detained three people and recovered several fake national identity (NID) cards, a number of other fake ID cards of various educational institutions, banks and offices from their shops in city's Nilkhet area.

The newly appointed Governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr Atiur Rahman on the first day of taking his office sought cooperation of the bank's high executives to make the central bank into a poor-friendly bank.

Nepal's Maoist government yesterday sacked the country's army chief for failing to comply with orders, a spokesman said, in a move that could trigger a showdown between the prime minister and the military.

Editorial

IN a way, the rallies organised by the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the city on Friday and Saturday were looked forward to with quite a few, if not many, expectations by the nation. After all, it was for the first time since the general elections of December last year that the two parties and especially their two leaders were making a public appearance with what was expected to be major policy announcements. In the event, it came down to more of what the country had been getting from them in the eighteen years since the return of parliamentary democracy in 1991. It is unfortunate that through their pronouncements on 1 and 2 May, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia both belied the hopes of the nation.

WITH the focus on "the enormous potential of media to serve as a platform for fostering dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation," World Press Freedom Day 2009 was observed yesterday everywhere including Bangladesh. This is undoubtedly a day when hundreds of thousands of media people all over the world collectively respond to a single theme and ponder how they can improve quality of journalism so that they can serve the people better. This year the emphasis has been on the role media can play in promoting intercultural dialogue for mutual understanding by eradicating hatred, ignorance and prejudice through an inclusive coverage of different opinions and values.

THE era of romantic democracy -- of egalitarianism, equality, welfare and social justice is long over. We yearned for it for ages without ever tasting it. Even after our freedom -- the struggle for which had, indeed, been built up on our quest for democracy -- it has persistently eluded us.

OF late, the prime minister has talked about our bureaucracy's master like attitude towards the citizens. In fact, bureaucratic resistance to change is an age-old phenomenon in Bangladesh. As such, changes such as Citizen's Charter and reinventing government principles have not yet been able to make inroads into the mindset of our administrators.

Sports

Rain played foul on the second day of the Habib Group PCL Twenty20 tournament as Dhaka Sports Club won the curtailed-over first game against Dada Warriors and the second match between Chittagong Abahani and Chittagong Brothers Union ended in a tie at the MA Aziz Stadium yesterday.

Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin returned to the capital yesterday with good news for the country's football loving public as nine countries are set to participate in an international tournament in Dhaka on November this year.

The ICC has advised cricket officials in America to install an IPL model to capitalise on the Twenty20 boom and generate funds for the game's grassroots development in the USA, IS Bindra, the ICC's principal advisor, said. The ICC told United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) to set up such a league "as fast as they can" during a meeting in January that was attended by Bindra and Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive.

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal smashed an unbeaten 116 in the fifth and final one-dayer that his side won by seven wickets against Australia at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi last night.

The IPL assumes relevance to different parties in different ways, but for India's selectors it has provided a happy headache or three. Barely two weeks after the IPL finishes in South Africa on April 24, Indian players from the various teams will come together to defend the ICC World Twenty20 crown. The deadline for announcing squads is May 5, so in all probability the composition of the squad going to England will be revealed tomorrow.

Abdul Razzaq has said he is ready to sign a letter pledging his future to Pakistan and not the ICL, as the ramifications of the PCB's policy on players with the private Indian league takes root. Mohammad Yousuf has already claimed he has 'resigned' from the league and though Razzaq has not taken that step yet, he said he was willing to leave the league and play for Pakistan.

Michael Clarke's stand-in leadership will be passed on to Brad Haddin for the final game of Australia's limited-overs campaign against Pakistan. Clarke took over from Ricky Ponting and guided the side to a series win, but he will head home a few days early to rest ahead of the engagements in England over the next four months.

Real Madrid's pursuit was for nothing. Even 17 victories in 18 unbeaten matches were not enough; in the 19th match, Barcelona, the last side to beat Real, arrived at the Bernabeu and beat them again. Destroyed them, in fact. It was not just that Barcelona's 6-2 ­victory, secured with two each from Thierry Henry and Leo Messi, plus one from Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, ­carried them seven points clear with four matches remaining. It was that they left their rivals in tatters, turning the Santiago Bernabeu's battle cry, briefly revived in the second half, into a ­murmur of impotence.

Marseille's hopes of a first French league title since 1992 suffered a setback Saturday when they had to settle for a share of the points in a tense and sometimes thrilling 2-2 home draw with Toulouse.

Business

Two local companies that assemble quality energy saving lights are threatened with imported substandard and low-cost bulbs, which reportedly fall short of saving energy to the expected extent, amid a recent rise in demand for such bulbs.

The annual development programme (ADP) should incorporate measures to offset the fallout stemming from the global recession, with the national budget approaching, suggested International Chamber of Commerce-Bangladesh (ICC-B).

Cellphone credit retailers have urged mobile operators to increase their commissions to 10 percent from the existing 2.75 percent, claiming that the present rate does not bring in worthy business returns.

Asia's governments must spend more on social safety nets and reduce their reliance on export-driven growth as they grapple with an economic meltdown that will keep tens of millions trapped in poverty, finance officials said Sunday.

US banking regulators and the Federal Reserve are set to release Thursday results from stress tests of the country's 19 biggest banks and estimates for further public aid to help boost the ailing economy.

The names of investigation agency and prosecutors will be announced within a day or two for the trial of war criminals, said State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Captain (retd) Tajul Islam yesterday.

Labour and Expatriates' Welfare Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain yesterday said there are prospects of returning migrants from some major labour-receiving countries and called for vigilance and preparations to face any possible affects of global financial crisis.

Though there were no reports of killings of journalists, series of threats, coercion, intimidation and aggression on them in the last year have become all too common, revealed a report at a programme in the city yesterday.

ParkwayHealth, one of Asia's leading private healthcare providers, has launched a series of fixed price all-in-one packages that cover various surgeries including general surgery, neurosurgery, cardiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic, urology, ENT and gastroenterology.

The government of Bangladesh and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement for the implementation of the first-ever field-level project in coastal areas on Saturday, says a press release.

The High Court (HC) yesterday issued a rule upon the government to explain within three weeks why it (government) should not be directed to establish family courts in three hill districts of the country.

A doa mahfil and celebration of life of Mrs Hasna Haque, wife of late Col MM Haque, will be held at the Old DOHS, Banani Community Centre at 7:00pm today, Monday, May 4, 2009, says a press release from her family.

Heroic freedom fighter Taramon Bibi Bir Protik yesterday got as gift a newly constructed semi-pucca house on one acre of land at Araji Polashbari under Kurigram Sadar upazila yesterday, thanks to the initiative of district administration and 27 Rifles Battalion in Kurigram.

Alleged Al Badr commander Abul Kalam Azad was again sued yesterday for war crimes. Jyotsna Rani, 62, of Fulbaria village under Nagarkanda upazila filed the case with Judicial Magistrate's Court, Faridpur. Magistrate Motaharat Akhter Bhuiyan asked the officer-in-charge (OC) of Nagarkanda Police Station to take legal steps after proper investigation. In the case statement, the complainant said Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Mia and his brother-in-law Mohammad Kazi, also an accused in the case, killed her husband Chittaranjan Das during Liberation War on the 19th of Bangla month Jaistha, 1378. Another case was lodged against Bachchu with Faridpur Judicial Magistrate's Court on April 20.

Sunamganj district Awami League (AL) president Matiur Rahman at a press conference announced his candidature for the by-election to Sunamganj-4 constituency (Sadar and Biswambharpur). The seat fell vacant following death of district Jatiya Party chief Begum Momtaj Iqbal on April 16. Momtaj, wife of former JP minister Major (Retd) Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury was elected with grand alliance ticket in the December 29 elections. Matiur told journalists that he was the AL nominee in the last JS polls, but for the sake of alliance he had to sacrifice his candidature. "This time I am going to contest as an AL nominee," he said.

Border Security Forces (BSF) yesterday returned the body of a Bangladeshi fisherman after a company commander-level flag meeting with Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) at Daikhowa frontier of Hatibandha upazila. Victim Rashedul Islam, 30, son of Akhter Hossain of Daikhowa was gunned down by BSF of Lalbazar camp on Daikhowa border on Friday morning when he was fishing in the River Maldah Chhora.

Two compartments of a Chittagong bound express train derailed at Shashitol in Burichang upazila on Sunday morning disrupting communication on the Dhaka-Chittagong route for five hours. A rescue train went to the spot to resume operation at noon.

The investigation officer (IO) allegedly dropped the name of an Awami League (AL) leader in the second charge sheet submitted in a drug peddling case. The IO, Inspector AKM Fazlul Haque of the district Narcotics and Drug Control Department, submitted on April 22 a charge sheet against three people including Sreeula Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Abu Hena Shakil, also a leader of Assassuni upazila AL, in a drug peddling case. But later the same IO withdrew the charge sheet and submitted another charge sheet where Shakil's name was dropped. Shakil was shown absconding soon after filing of the case. When contacted, the IO said, “I prepared two separate charge sheets. In the first one, I pressed charges against the three accused and in the other one, I pressed charges against two accused. But I did not submit the first charge sheet.”

Letters

As the Pakistan cricket team is planning to include their rebel players of ICL in the national team and India is also going in the same direction, now I feel it's high time for BCB to soften their stance and withdraw the ban on our own rebel ICL cricketers too. After all it's the question of our national pride and honour and I do strongly believe that the upcoming World Cup T20 cricket and even the 2011 cricket World Cup squad would be poorer minus the players like Aftab, Kapali and Nazimuddin. Especially, I feel Kapali and Aftab are very talented.

Nowadays in our urban society, noise pollution is an acute problem. “Noise is the wrong sound, in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Loudness of sound is a sensory dependent parameter. It is directly related to intensity of sound and measured by decibel (dB). For instance according to WHO, permissible loudness in an industrial area is 75dB and 45dB is the safe noise level for a city. Unfortunately, the average loudness of sound is above 90dB in our metropolitan cities, which is double the recommended limit. Hydraulic horn is the leading cause of sound pollution in the city. Moreover, vehicles with under performing engines, blenders, grinders, electric drills, stone and brick crushers, various types of mills, loud speakers, aircraft & trains also cause noise pollution.

It seems that the government could not settle down even after 100 days in office. Government ministers are still not in grip of their ministries. One example is the chaos that is prevailing in traffic management. Is it such a difficult job to create a smooth traffic system? What has to be done is known to all. A huge number of seminars, symposiums conducted at Sonargaon and Sheraton hotels (consuming delicious food at peoples expense !) cannot produce the desired results. Enough has been said. Now it is time to act. Anyone who has lived in a western country will understand what has to be done.

Liton's front-page report of April 25, on the lack of rules for utilisation of MPs' discretionary funds is really interesting! Having been elected to parliament, why have regulation on discretion? The maximum limitation on annual basis should do. Possibly this was the logic and thinking, that discouraged the members of parliament to have any rules about it!

The media, especially the electronic media, is an effective tool to shape up public opinion when society is diluted and suffering from indecisions. That is where we stand today. Against this background we are to judge the role of the media. Are they performing ethically or following the partisan mentors' directives to support or criticise the government efforts and opposition's role. I believe some electronic media outlets are sending selective information under the banner of freedom of information; and also producing talk shows which imply that Bangladesh was a " heaven on earth' before the new government came to power in early January 2009. All crises, energy, water supply, fluctuating prices of essential commodities ( except rice, ata etc) are the failure of this four-month old government as they failed to prioritise and tackle national issues, and are spending time on non-issues like the house of the opposition leader. This type of over critical and negative presentation of the governmental efforts to address the issues are creating a demoralized state of affairs which would further aggravate the sufferings of the poor and ordinary people.

I was wondering why the BNP cadres are hobnobbing with AL cadres and following their usual aggressive style of life without any problem. I did not have to go far to find the answer. The BNP cadres have relatives in the rank and file of AL cadres. They seem to have a secret agreement that by hook or by crook they will maintain their hegemony over the hapless people. The bureaucracy acts here as the third force in the triangle of corruption.

BNP leaders fail to mention that Begum Zia has got another house, a four-storied one, in Gulshan, in addition to the Cantt. House. What more could the fawning legislators of the then ruling party do for her? One house to live in and the other for earning rent! The allotment of a house inside a cantonment, meant for a serving military officer, to her was illegal ab initio. But nobody cared!

The Reader's Digest has an old and popular page, “Quotable Quotes”. In the context of Bangladesh today, we could well start with some “Uncouth Quotes” coming from our 'leaders'. I will start with the gems from the home ministry's parliamentary standing committee's recommendations on Dhaka's traffic problems as printed in DS on 27 April 09.

Rajuk is planning to build one hundred thousand apartments in Uttara, Purbachol, and Jhilmil project. These apartments will be constructed in eleven thousand plots. This is good news for Dhaka's citizens.

On 29 April, all the dailies carried an important news report under the headline "Begum Khaleda Zia, Tareque Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko apply to the High Court for withdrawal of corruption cases" filed against them by the ACC during the caretaker government.

Colombo did not allow Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt to enter Sri Lanka on a 'humanitarian mission' together with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. I think Colombo apparently in its final days of total victory over Tamil separatist rebels (LTTE) - has taken a bold decision.

Most people in Bangladesh are poor. Mostly their votes led to the landslide victory of the Awami League in the last parliamentary election. And it is high time to do something for their welfare. A portion of the poor youth can be converted into manpower. They should be trained in professions like driving.

Now we see the most recent pandemic disease, swine flu, threatening to reach the subcontinent. We have already seen what happened with bird flu in our country. Firstly, we have to know about the disease.

The much-awaited news of shifting the 50 overs cricket World Cup final match venue finally appeared in cricifo on the 28th of April. The 2011 World Cup is shifting base from Lahore to Mumbai which did not surprise us as India expects to get a "big share" of the 14 matches that were initially allotted to Pakistan.

Worried about the expanding writ of the Taliban in Pakistan, a former US ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, has said the Obama administration must seriously consider pulling out as many nuclear weapons as possible from Pakistan.

An Iraqi soldier opened fire on a US military team Saturday, killing two American soldiers and wounding three, the US military said, in an attack that could sharpen worries about the extent of militant infiltration in Iraq's security forces.Iraqi officials described the attacker who was killed in the gunbattle as a soldier who also served as a Sunni Muslim preacher for his unit near Mosul, which is one of the last urban strongholds for Sunni insurgents.

The Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad has said that 'jihad' or the holy war was not compulsory in Kashmir as the people there are struggling for freedom and a new state and not for implementing 'Sharia'

A bomb exploded outside an Afghan police headquarters yesterday, killing four civilians including two children, officials said, also reporting a dozen militants were killed in a joint US-Afghan operation.

Some are operating from a single room while others are sweating it out from their homes-turned-offices. Leaders of hundreds of small political parties are hoping to make a mark in these Lok Sabha polls.

Arts & Entertainment

It was one of those soft rain-dappled mornings, as we listened, engrossed to the eminent lyricist, film director and producer Gazi Mazharul Anwar at our Daily Star office. Clad in his typical white panjabi, Gazi talked informally on his illustrious career in the media.

Rabindra Kacharibari at Shahzadpur in Sirajganj district is rapidly losing its appeal. Archaeological Department officials allege that some members of the local elite have grabbed a sizeable portion of land in the estate and have set up trade centres and clothing markets in the restricted area. Besides, say the officials, they face hurdles in preserving the memorabilia at the Rabindra Memorial Museum due to inadequate space and a shortage of manpower.

Bengal Foundation has been promoting traditional Bangla songs over the last two decades. A musical soiree, titled "Pran-er Khela," is a regular monthly feature at the Bengal Shilpalaya in Dhanmondi. Featuring seasoned and emerging artistes, performing 'Adhunik,' folk and songs of Tagore, Nazrul, Atulprasad, D.L. Roy, Rajnikant and more, this programme has become quite popular in the city. Noted Nazrul singer Yasmin Mushtari and emerging Rabindra Sangeet artiste Azizur Rahman Tuhin performed at this month's instalment of the soiree on May 2 at Bengal Shilpalaya.

Drama serial "Lalita" will be telecast tonight on Ekushey TV at 9:30pm. Based on a story by Abdus Salam, the serial is scripted and directed by Jewel Mahmud. A production of Ekushey TV, the serial's cast includes Sumaiya Shimu, Joyonto Chattopadhyay, Anisur Rahman Milon, Bannya Mirza, Elora Gauhar, Pran Roy, Joyraj and Misha Saudagar.

The Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC recently organised a daylong cultural programme at the embassy premises, says a press release. The event, organised as a part of the Cultural Tourism, DC's annual celebration, was attended by a large number of guests from various parts of the U.S. Tourists from other countries also attended the event. Cultural Tourism, DC is a Washington-based non-profit organisation dedicated to showcasing cultural diversity through holding such events in collaboration with the embassies. This is the second consecutive year that this cultural programme was held.

Drama serial “Palolik Mon” will be aired tonight on ntv at 9:45 pm. Written jointly by Selim Taher and Bipul Raihan, and directed by the latter, the serial is aired, same time every Monday and Thursday.

OP-ED

THE gradually narrowing rivers that surround our capital Dhaka no longer hold water; rather, all they carry are stinky, mucky liquids. We the Dhakaites are at the mercy of policy planners who, irrespective of their political colours, appear to be deaf and dumb.

SERIOUS talks are going on between the US and Pakistan. The two, allies for 55 years, have complaints against each other. It looks like a scene from a film in which two middle aged lovers are doing a tango and letting out their heartfelt complaints on one side and reassurances on the other.

THERE is a saying: Der hai, par andher nahin (it is late but never beyond the reach of justice). The wheel of fortune turns slowly to expose Chief Minister Narendra Modi of Gujarat, the state where some 4,000 Muslims were killed seven years ago. It has been an open secret that he and his Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) were involved in the pogrom, with the connivance of the state machinery, including the police.